Flowers and Their Crushed Petals (ryden)

Chapter 14: reconnection

We had drove straight from New Mexico to Colorado, only stopping twice. It was a long drive, I was honestly surprised we only stopped twice. It was probably because once again Ryan slept almost the whole time. I don't know how he slept so much, he barely did anything but he always seemed exhausted. I was driving into a nice neighborhood where Ryan's friend lived. All the house were nice, big, and surrounded by tons of trees and plants. It was freezing and seemed like it might snow. It was seven o'clock and the sun had set. I looked at the addresses and realized we were only a few houses away from Ryan's friends house. I reached over and shook Ryan awake.
"We're about to drive up on your friends house. What's his name?"
"Jon." He said and then he yawned. He reached across and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. He rested his head on my shoulder and sighed.
"You okay?"
"Great, the best I've been in a long time." I was so happy when I heard him utter those words. I was the reason for his happiness, more then that, I was the reason for his happiest time yet. "Jon, Spencer, and I were all best friends in high school. We even tried to start a band together, but it didn't work out. That's when I ran away and they all moved out of Vegas too."
"Why?"
"Vegas isn't a place to live."
"Here we are." I said pulling up to Jon's house. It was a mission style house with vines covering the walls. We climbed out into the cold night and walked the walkway silently.  We made to the porch and knocked. After a minute the door opened and there stood Jon.
"Hey guys." He said smiling. "I'm Jon." He said with a hand out stretched to me.
"I'm Brendon." I said taking his hand and shaking it. He gestured to us to come in. Every wall in the house was cover with art, he had many different instruments laying around, and had three dogs.
"Wow Jon, you've learned how to play a lot more instruments." Ryan said sitting down on the couch.
"Yeah, I love music, so I thought I might be as well learn how to play it on the most instruments as I can." He smiled, "Its just me and ten dogs so I have a lot of time on my hands."
"You should travel, like us." Ryan said nodding towards me.
"Maybe I will one day."
"We're only stay a night or two." Ryan said standing up and walking to the glass doors to look out into the dark back yard.
"You guys can stay as long as you want. I have two extra rooms so there's enough room for you guys. Oh and I have some friends coming over to jam." He smiled and led us to to the rooms. "You guys will be right next to each other, I'm gonna hit the sack. Night." Jon walked down the hallway to his room.
"I guess we should have told him we're sharing." I said smiling.
"We'll tell him in the morning." Ryan grabbed my hand and pulled me into the room. It started to seem whenever we had a bed we would fuck, not just once either, multiple times a night! It was magical, we would kiss and touch, and even bite. It was bliss, and the only way I could reach it was by being with Ryan. He was my key to happiness, my key to true love. And he was the only person who could give it to me. That was what I came to realize that night, when we lay naked still entangled with each other.
I woke up with my arms still around Ryan, Ryan was out cold, but that was what I had came to expect. The sun was flowing in through the large window, outside the window was a large tree where a nest of birds could clearly be since. As I was about to close my eyes to fall back into a light sleep, the door to our room burst open.
"Hey Ryan, where's Brendon, he wasn't-" Jon paused when he noticed me. "Oh." He said softly in surprise. I let go of Ryan and I sat up slightly.
"Hello." I said still half asleep and with a slight wave.
"Um, ah, I was just, um going to tell Ryan breakfast is ready. He hates missing breakfast."  Jon said with a complete look of confusion. He turned and left the room closing the door behind him. I touched Ryan's face to try to wake him. Ryan slapped my hand and I made a sound of surprise.
"Oh, I thought you were spider, there was one on my face last night." He sat up and smiled at me. He grabbed my face gave me a big wet kiss. I started laughing and wiped my mouth.
"Gross."
"You know you love it." Ryan said sticking his tongue out and moving around.
"Jon just came in, he seemed a little freaked when he saw me." I said brushing a piece of hair out of his face.
"Nah, he was just surprised."
"I hope, he said breakfast is ready."
"Ooo," Ryan jumped up quicker then I'd ever seen him move and grabbed clothes. "Well, come on!" Ryan said opening the door and looking back at me.
"I'm coming." I followed him into the kitchen and to the table. I sat down next him and I looked at the shirt he was wearing. He was wearing my shirt from the night before. Jon walked up to the table and I could tell he noticed Ryan's (or my) shirt.
"There's pancakes, bacon, fruit, and eggs." Jon said pointing to the food on the table. He sat down across from Ryan and I. Ryan put a lot of each food on his plate and started to shove the food in his mouth.
"This is really good." Ryan said through a mouth full of food.
"I've never seen you ear that much Ryan." I said laughing.
"That's because you don't know him well." Jon said under his breath. I looked up, why was he angry at me? I looked at Ryan, but it seemed like he didn't here him.
"I need a cigarette." Ryan said taking out a pack.
"Yeah me too. Let's go outside and smoke one." Jon said quickly getting up. They walked outside together, and stopped right outside the window. I tried to ignore it and continued to eat. 
"Ryan what the fuck?" I heard Jon say, I looked up and realized ten window was open.
"What?" Ryan asked trying to light his cigarette.
"You're gay?"
"You're homophobic too? I can't take this shit." Ryan said about to walk away.
"No. No, I mean why didn't you ever tell us. Like we wouldn't have been mad."
"That's because I'm not gay, I'm whatever the fuck I want to be."
"Ryan it's not just that, I mean what happened to you? One night you're in Vegas and the next you're gone. Then five years later I get I call from you, and you show up with some random guy. Who even is he? Is he a homeless guy, you know you have to be careful with people like that."
"No, he's not a homeless guy. He's a rich kid who ran away. And I'm sorry about running away, I, I just had to get away." I tried not to listen, it wasn't my business until Ryan made it my business. But I couldn't help but listen. "My dad was horrible, I couldn't deal with anymore Jon." Ryan looked down at his feet, I could tell he was holding back tears.
"I know man, but I could have taken you in! We had a great band going, we could've really made it."
"I know, but I'm happy with Brendon on the road. I really am."
"I am too, and I guess that's all that matters." They put out their cigarettes and came back to the table.
"Sorry man." Jon said to me as he sat down.
"It's cool." I smiled. I'm was glad they worked it out, and that Jon wasn't mad at me anymore.
"Oh, look." Jon jumped up and walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a picture. "Look it's us." He said laughing and handing the picture to Ryan. Ryan smiled broadly and I saw tears raise to his eyes.
"You kept this all this time."
"Of corse." Jon said smiling. Ryan started to cry and I put my arm around him. I was so happy for him. He was connecting with his past that he was forced to leave. I was glad I could give him the chance, I was glad I could see him and be with him thru it too.